The Red-Wind Ribbon
by modern-wonder
Summary: Shino Aburame was a lonely child until he met Naru the village reject. they become friends and take to learning their ninja skills but trouble looms over the horizon and its up to both Shino and Naru to stop it, all the while hiding how the feel about each other. Will they fail in the endeavor or will they triumph!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Naruto is just dandy, but I don't make a profit from its inane awesomeness. Masashi is one lucky man for owning it!

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The Red-Wind Ribbon

Prologue: before it started it all?

The night of October tenth will always be remembered as a day of triumphs versus destruction and fear, the day the shinobi and civilians of Konohagakure put aside their differences and worked towards a common goal: surviving.

Yet, with all victories, sadness is sure to follow with hate and accusation not far behind.

Such sadness could be seen and felt in the wise old eyes of a elderly man, who, dispite his calm visage, was warring his own self of duty against his own stipulations. In his frail looking hands he held a blanket-wrapped object that moved in random directions every few minutes as if sensing the high tension around the battered village.

The old man looked out of the large office windows that had previously looked out at the calm October night, but that was before the Kyuubi had attacked, and that was before he realized that he was way to old for this type of worry and hasty way of life that came with being a retired kage and a shinobi before that. For all he was called "God of Shinobi" and "Professor", even he was stumped with what to do with the young bundle of agitated baby that he was in charge of-reluctantly, but still in charge of.

Looking down at the child, the Sandaime hokage- leader of the village before the Yondaime, thought of his predecessors' choice in container, his own flesh and blood?

With a sigh that spoke of weariness and age, the newly instated hokage watched as the baby he held opened it's blue eyes for the first time, and said "well Uzumaki Naru, we have a lot to plan for you in the future, don't we".

Uzumaki Naru, daughter of the Yondaime hokage and red-blooded Habanero, smiled as if in agreement!

Chapter One:

your princess is in another castle!

"_hey, princess of popsicles! Queen of curlicue cones. -Wendy Higgins_

**Six years later**

The sun was shining, the birds were singing and the village of Konohagakure was in a time of peace and relative laziness that comes with a time of no war. But for two young children this was the day for miracles?

Uzumaki Naru was, in a way, a young and very polite girl of only six years, who could tell you many things that no one her age was supposed to know about, like that she was the personal hell for many of the civilians or that old man hokage was a pervert.

'why do they keep banning me from the stores, I'm a paying costumer and tax practitioner, no good dirty rotten cu-ooooh, ramen', Naru wasn't stupid like the villagers thought she was, in fact she was pretty smart and independent, just simple-minded at times, she was six after all.

It was on the way to said ramen shop that Naru's life changed for the better?

**Shino's pov**

'To many people the Aburame clan was one of the four noble clans and thus earned its own dosage of respects and awe, yet a stigma befalls those of this clan due to the fact that at birth these clansmen give themselves over to the bugs and live in symbiosis with them creating a stronger unit that will benefit both parties'.

Shino Aburame, heir to the Aburame clan and six-year-old creepy dude-dubbed so by the kids at the play area, walked down one of the many streets that littered Konoha lost in thought on how to please his parents.

That was until he saw her, though?


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter two:

When we met in embarrassment!

"the rate of which a person can mature is directly proportional to the embarrassment he can tolerate!" -Douglas Engelbart

**Reg. prov**

'Her name is Naru, must be a shortened version of Naruko or some such. Her name fits her'.

Shino's thoughts were in a whirlwind-as of today's impromptu meeting with a blonde girl. 'how did she knock away my defenses'.

The young Aburame continued to walk back to his clans compound, subconsciously blushing and mumbling things about blonde's and their habits. He ignored the looks he was getting from the villagers-a mixture of wary awe and disgust, Shino paid them no mind, he was used to from being in the Aburame clan after all.

Shino groaned inaudible to all but himself and his kikai. "Who are you Naru"?

_Flashback_

_Shino was heading home after a mentally exhausting day of trying to make at least one friend. It wasn't his fault that people were disgusted by the Aburame techniques, why should he pay the price for what his clan does to help the village._

_Not watching where he was going, Shino had no time to swerve out of the way before a blonde comet hit it's head square in his gut, knocking the air out of his lungs and throwing him on hi back._

_He was coming too, but the pain was hard to muscle through. It didn't help that whatever had hit him was laying on top of his stomach, smashing him between a blonde and a rocky street._

"_oi, you okay, you're not dead are you?"_

_Looking up, Shino realized that two things would forever cement his embaressment in the eyes of all._

_Aburame Shino, sole heir to the Aburame clan, was blushing and was blushing at a young girl roughly his age. A young girl who looked positively worried that she had just killed him and was already making plans on where to "get rid of the evidence, so she could escape the police and continue eating ramen". her own words!_

_Shino was inwardly mortified he had done things that were un-Aburame like. As he was just about to throw caution to the wind and run like hell a small voice stopped him._

"_hiya, sorry about running you over. My names Naru, what's yours?"_

_Shino was stunned, here was a girl-still sitting on him, asking what his name was. He narrowed his eyes, though no one could see it, and gave his name in a monotone voice._

"_Aburame Shino pleased to make you acquaintance Naru-san." he said with a formality at the end, which was only polite, yet he was waiting for the reaction that most girls gave when they met him and his bugs._

_It never came. And Naru was gone before he could ask her why?_

_End Flashback_

As Shino was walking in to the clan house, he was still wondering about the blonde haired girl. Who was she, was she part of a clan, did she go to a civilian school or was she going to go the academy when she was seven, why did she not freak out when she heard his name? all these questions would have to be answered, but how was he going to get them?

On the way to his room, he passed by his father-Aburame Shibi, a strong jounin and clan head to the Aburame's, he gave a soft greeting to his father and left, not seeing the concerned look Shibi was giving him.

The clan head's gaze followed his son as he walked up the stairs to his room. He knew about the meeting today with the Uzumaki girl, and was quite pleased-though he didn't show it, that his son was starting to make friends. Even if Shino didn't know it yet himself.

_The next few months_

Shino felt like he had asked every adult in the village along with their kids, about where he could find the girl named Naru. Conveniently everyone seemed more inclined to getting him to stay away from her rather then helping him find more about the girl.

It was to say the least frustrating for Shino, and he was worried that he would have to wait until the academy started to see if she wouldn't mind him asking her a few questions and maybe being his friend. 'well she didn't freak out at my name, so maybe she would be inclined to being friends, maybe?" at least that was where his rebellious mind was at the moment. not helping him find Naru.

Shino walked away from the elderly couple he had been talking too, by talking the had been grilling him on staying away from Naru, saying she was dangerous and unpredictable. Shino resolved to having a talk with his parents later on who Naru was and if they knew where to find her?

In the Aburame household, all was stock still, as Shino's parents stared at him in question. Shino wanted to become friends with the Uzumaki girl. She was the opposite of everything the Aburame prided themselves on and their son wanted to become friends with her. It was hard to wrap their minds around it, but if he wanted this then the felt no outward force would be needed to tear or glue them together.

Shibi looked hard at his son, and sighed, why couldn't things have been easier for them. Both were destined for greatness and yet, both had a lot of healing to go through before the could truly become strong, sure and right by their actions.

Aburame Tsumiki smiled slightly as she told Shino he could be friends with her. Maybe things were already starting to heal.

No one knew just how right he was?


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter three:

In a world built on crazy!

" _If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Because everything that is would be what it isn't, you see?" _

_-Alice (Alice in wonderland)_

**Academy one year later**

**Shino's pov**

Being born in the Aburame clan does have some advantages, in example I have been trained to wield the clan's techniques and incorporate strategies into battle-like scenarios. Not only that but I have been informed about academy structure and the way things are run.

I could already feel annoyance bubbling up.

The reason, Uchiha Sasuke. The so-called rookie of the year. Our class hasn't even been in term for five minutes and all the girls and teachers are making sure to kiss his ass so he doesn't fly-off-the-deep-end.

"Its sad huh, they all look like vultures circling dead meat" a feminine voice exclaimed.

I felt my head whip around so fast, even I'm surprised that it's still attached to my neck. Next to the table stood her, the impossible to find Naru. 'so she will be attending the academy then'.

She carried a orange bag with black swirls on her right shoulder. 'Now that I look at her, she is wearing quite a bit of orange, could it be a clan thing along with swirls, it would explain why she's wearing them'.

I looked at her closely, while she rattled off things that I had no chance in hell of ever understanding. Naru was wearing black shinobi pants with orange bandages around the thighs and ankles, she carried two pouches-probably filled with her kunai and shuriken-on her thigh bandages. One large shinobi pouch hung on her lower back on a orange cord belt. Her upper body was covered in a burnt orange tank-top, that accented a moderate bust line for her age and small waist. A orange trench coat covered her all the way to her black shinobi sandals. When she moved to brush away her long blonde hair away from her face he could see she wore black and orange leather/fabric, fingerless gloves that more then likely went to her elbows.

Of course being around ninja since he was born, this observation only took about two minutes. Thank Kami, Naru was still talking because he really wanted to see if she wasn't adverse to the idea of a mutual benefiting partnership and observing what she was wearing seemed to be a very good way of getting socked in the face.

Even if he was several feet taller that her!

Looking down at her, I realized she seemed to be waiting for something, summarized by the pointed look she was giving me.

"I'm sorry, could you repeat that. I was thinking about things and didn't hear you?" I felt like a fool for not paying attention to my surroundings and now Naru must feel that I don't care.

She gave a 'are you serious' look, before delving back into her question. "I asked you, if it was okay if I sit by you?"

I suddenly realized she was still standing. 'she wants to sit by me I wonder why, does this mean she wants to be friends.'

The expectant look in Naru's blue eyes made me consider, should I let her sit by me or not. I went with the lesser of two evils. " I don't mind you sitting by me Uzumaki-san."

Naru gave me a foxy grin, while she took the seat by the window. I blushed a little at the grin, thank Kami for high collars on the Aburame garb.

I took a deep breath, "Naru", she looked back over at me, confusion in the lines of her face. I didn't want to push it but I had to what she thought of me. "why are you sitting by me, there where other places to sit, class hasn't started yet so if you want you could sit by the other girls in the class." I was proud that I managed to come off as friendly.

Naru didn't look put out but instead said, " the other girls don't like me because I dress in such unflattering colors and feel like I'm a threat to their affections towards Sasuke-teme. They don't seem to realize that he couldn't care less if they fell off the edge of the world and landed flat on their asses. The only other decent girl would have to be Hinata-chan, but she stutters a lot and needs some confidence. And I'm not friends with any of the boys, or anyone for that matter, besides you looked like you were lonely so I decided that you would be a good person to sit by. Does that answer your question Aburame-san?"

I was shocked by the speed she could talk at. It was like giving a monkey on espresso and double shot of vodka. The rest of the conversation was halted when two men walked in.

The smaller male was wearing the hi-ate of the leaf and the standard shinobi uniform with the chunin flak jacket. He had his dark hair pulled up into a pony-tail.

The taller male had dark silver hair that hung to his shoulder, and wore his head band like a bandana.

Both were in their early-mid twenty's.

Before I could find out more, the smaller of the two introduced himself as Iruka and his partner as Mizuki, and that they would both be the classes sensei's until the graduated.

Iruka-sensei seemed more inclined at speaking then his partner, and immediately launched into a discussion on the history of Konoha and her surroundings.

As I was writing, I couldn't help but glance over at Naru, she seemed to be drawing some kind of design littered with ropes and pulleys. I felt that even the Nara clan's trademark "troublesome", wouldn't even begin to cover what goes on in her mind.

**Four hours later**

The bell rang me out of the stupor, that more-than-likely, held most of the class. It really wasn't our fault, its just that Iruka-sensei was droning on and on about things that had even lost interest to me.

After we were excused for lunch and the mob of students and fangirls-in-training had exited the room, I finally turned back to Naru, who by all accounts was drawing more of her strange contraptions.

She really was strange, but then again I myself am looked at as strange and creepy. Maybe we could become friends, the two outcasts.

We spent the lunch break talking and eating our bento's, and by the time Iruka-sensei called us to the schools training field, we were fast friends.

Maybe we could make this work, if only I didn't feel as though something bad was going to happen.

**Later**

As I was getting ready for bed for the night, I finally realized that being friends with Naru was going to be difficult.

She was loud, brash, hot-tempered and quick to solve things by violence first, then talking it out later. She wore bright clothes and had a crazy person on caffeine attitude that got her into trouble. All-in-all, she was his polar opposite and he was helpless against her powers of charm and persuasion.

'Two fights. She couldn't leave well enough alone, could she. Everyone else knew Sasuke was trying to bait her, why didn't she walk away, that would have been the smart thing. And then right after that fight she gets into and argument with the konouchi instructor. Kami Naru, why, just why?' this musing was surely going to give me a migraine if the buzzing of my agitated kikai didn't accomplish that first.

I could at least foresee the inevitable-Naru was going to drive him insane, and he had a feeling that he would be willing.


	4. Chapter 4

Announcement: So very sorry about how late this chapter was. Life just grabs you by the metaphorical balls and refuses to let go at times. So on behalf of my tardiness, here is chapter four.

Chapter four:

A path paved in nostalgia

"_I prefer the mystic clouds of nostalgia to the real thing, to be honest"_

_-Robert Wyatt_

**Reg. pov**

Shino's perspective of his world was limited to the facts of both life and all its rationalities. This included those about a certain blonde-haired konoichi-in-training, who currently had left the class in search of Iruka-sensei.

Shino felt that somewhere, there was a Kami and he was surely laughing at him for the sick practical joke that was what his life was turning out to be. Rationality be damned, he wanted several things in life- a career as a shinobi, Sasuke to stop being a massive prick, and Naru to stay in his life- was it really that hard to have at least these wishes granted.

Apparently so if Shino was going by what the Kami's wanted.

The sounds of the class seemed louder without Naru. When she was here, with him, everything seemed muffled. Yet so much more clear.

It was as if the world was loud and unfocused, like a veil was covering his senses, however when Naru was with him, the sounds became dimmer and the colors shifted to a shine that made his very being vibrate with hyper-awareness.

It was a experience that would always make him terrified and yet fully aware of what the consequences where.

It had been over ten minutes since class was supposed to begin, why wasn't Naru back again. Shino reasoned that if Naru was going to be gone for more than two minutes she should have an escort-namely him and the discarded body of who ever was foolish enough to take his place.

Kami he was becoming morbid. Shino hoped that Naru was coming back soon before he went of the deep end and murdered the less than flattering male population and bitchy girls of his class.

Morbid indeed.

Shino looked up from his musing to the sound of the squeaky-_more like the gates of hell _-door being moved.

The reliability of that sound made Shino nervous, not that he had reason to be but one couldn't help but shy away from noises that didn't belong in nature. Doors that made the screams of torture victims sound pleasant seconded that list, right after the sounds of Naru inhaling her ramen.

Shino watched as Mizuki-sensei tried everything in his power to stop the catastrophe that was rapidly becoming his class.

It wasn't working and only succeeded in fanning the flames.

Sure Mizuki-sensei was a chuunin of his village and in his mind Shino realized that he did deserve a little respect, but if he couldn't control a room of untrained civilian kids and barely trained shinobi-clan kids then something had to be said for the man: how the heck had he become a chuunin.

A shadow fell over Shino, looking up he saw the sky blue eyes of his best friend, Naru.

She always seemed to have a hidden smile, even when she was sad, her lips had a way of turning up at their ends and it never ceased to amaze Shino.

"Hey Shino" Naru smiled as she talked. It was a odd habit but it only made her that much better because Shino was one of the few to feel the warmth that accompanied her true smiles.

Shino may have only known Naru for a few weeks, but she had worked fast to tear down all his walls and make a home for herself in his life. If Shino lost her he knew, he absolutely knew that he would waste away until there was nothing to be defined that Aburame Shino had ever existed. He would die in spirit and only a shell of himself would remain.

Hiding behind his large, high-collar jacket, Shino smiled, even if Naru couldn't see it, Shino knew she sensed it.

The class started too quiet down as Iruka-sensei finally scared them all into a semblance of ironic peace.

'these people need to learn quicker, how will they handle missions and their teams if they can't even consider the joys of being in a secluded sense of quiet.' Shino felt that while his thoughts were becoming more cynical, they really did help to sort out the mess that was slowly becoming his life.

Throughout the class period Shino worked on his notes for class while Naru chatted his ear off in her version of a whisper.

All on all, the day passed by very quickly and in equal measure, was both delighted his day was over and torn that it was going to be until the next day until he could see Naru again.

Life had that funny effect on those it deemed unlucky enough to garner its interest. Shino was one of those unlucky enough to do just that apparently.

**The Next Day**

The class was strangely quiet when Shino walked in the next morning. His classmates where milling about like they were in a dream and had suddenly woken up. It started to worry Shino, all those blank looks and slow mindless movements. It wasn't a pretty sight at all.

Shino worriedly looked around, there was no sign of Naru and strangely enough there was also no sign of the sensei's either.

It was at that moment, when Shino was about to bolt from the room, that Naru walked in.

She seemed just as troubled, if not more, then he was. Her pursed lips and drawn eyebrows showed that Naru was thinking hard. Her narrowed eyes spoke even more volumes.

Most people think that Naru is an idiot. That is not technically true, Naru actually is quite smart and resourceful. She just had a different way of showing it.

Naru was amazing at stealth and traps, she pranked people so she had to have those down in spades, and she found out that she had a hidden talent for things in fuuinjustu. She was gifted in sparing and tracking. All together Naru could easily make konoichi of the year if not for her oddly high chakra reserves, which made it hard for her to do simple exercises and justu.

Shino watched as Naru walked a few more feet into the class, eyes watching every move everyone seemed to make.

The door seemed much farther away now that there were two people who seemed to not be effected by whatever was going on. It made Shino wonder, what was happening. Right now, his classmates should be jumping in their seats too be noticed and there should also have been shrieks as the girls practically jumped Sasuke.

But none of that was happening, know one was jumping to get attention and all of Sasuke's fangirls were staying in their seats looking around in slow, jerky movements,.

Shino looked over at Naru as she was looking at him. Some unspoken message seemed to flash before their eyes.

Naru shrugged and moved with him over to their seats. They didn't know what was going on, and they felt they never truly would, but the both knew that something was going to happen, something had just been set in motion and Shino had no doubt that he and Naru were going to be instrumental in moving it all along.

As the sensei's walked in, whatever had happened to the students seemed to fade away like morning dew, as Shino and Naru both pondered the same thing-_what the hell happened?_

Lunch was uneventful, no one remembered what had happened and even if they did they weren't talking about it with him nor Naru.

Some people, such as the Nara, were just confused and would probably think on Shinos' or Naru's words.

**Later**

By the end of the day Shino had finally found out the reason for the Samurai art of honorable suicide and was actively thinking on it if it would only get him out of the situation he had unknowingly put himself in.

On his left Shino was being forced to listen to the Sasuke Fan-club argue about who had the right to sit next to the Uchiha prick. On Shino's right he had to listen to the grinding of the said Uchiha 's teeth.

The noise level and the fact that Naru- who came in late and therefore all the seats around him were taken- was forced to sit away from him, made Shino feel particularly homicidal.

Not that anyone would be able to see these thoughts on his face until it was too late.

That brought a small amount of satisfaction to Shino.

It was only the fact that the academy would likely notice the silence of both Sakura and Ino and therefore he would be pressed into talking with the Hokage about why there was two academy students missing.

Shino still thought it might be worth the risk, if it would only bring quiet.

Seriously, what did those to idiots see in the emotionally constipated asshat. It was like the way they saw him was if he was Kami's gift to women and mankind.

Honestly, everyone could see that Sasuke wouldn't even give them the time of day, so why were they still pursuing the guy.

If Shino felt a little more inclined to the guy, he would of felt sympathetic to his plight, but Sasuke was just that much of an ass to Naru.

As Shino saw it he was always going to take Naru's side first and through a very difficult and exhausting list that would eventually end with Sasuke 's side last. To him that was the natural order of life since Naru came barreling into him and into his very existence.

Desperately trying too block out the screams of the two female harpy's and the grinding of Sasuke's teeth, Shino went back to whatever Iruka-sensei was trying to drill into the skulls of whoever was paying attention.

In the patented words of the Nara- this was troublesome.

The day finished quickly enough and yet by the time Shino had cleaned up back at the Aburame compound he felt he was in the running for the worlds worst headache.

"Shino"

Shino looked behind to acknowledge his mother. "mother"

He could feel the amusement more then see it as it washed over him. He blushed and was yet again thankful for the Aburame clan garb that he wore which prevented anyone truly seeing the bottom half of his face up to his cheek bones.

Tsumiki looked over her young son.

He was just like his father, not only in looks but also in attitude. She had watched over his actions with the Uzumaki girl and found them to be adorable in their endeavors to not offend the other.

Well that applied more to Shino then Naru.

She wanted Shino to have a better childhood then most Aburame. But if he didn't stop being fragile with Naru, then they would never truly become best friends.

Tsumiki gave a mental smile. She knew that Naru and Shino needed an outside push to help them overcome their last bit of uncomfort with each other.

And she had the perfect plan to help them.

"Shino"

He felt a little apprehensive as Shino watched his mother scheme. He felt that whatever she said next would either make or break him.

"I would like too meet this Uzumaki Naru. Please invite her over for dinner tomorrow"

Tsumiki glad that she had put her plan into action mentally giggled as she kissed her son on the forehead. He looked lost and she could hear his Kikai buzzing in agitation at Shino's emotions went haywire.

Within seconds she was gone and Shino currently went to work on remembering how to breathe.

He couldn't believe that his mother wanted to meet Naru. How was this going to work, would Naru even want to meet his mother, what if his mother didn't approve of Naru.

Shino had never felt so nervous as he did right now. All he could do was pray for tomorrow and hope Naru was amiable to the idea of meeting his mother.

**The next day**

Shino felt like his stomach was filled with thousands of little butterflies, all wild and chaotic in flight through the confined spaces in his body.

The reason for his less then normal lapse in critical judgment.

Naru was sitting right next to him during their lunch break and he had yet to tell her about the invitation to meet his mother.

His father was off on a mission, so if Naru was going to come to dinner, she would have to come back again to meet Aburame Shibi.

Shino nervously cleared his throat. "my mother thought it would be a nice gesture for me too ask you to diner tonight to meet her"

"w-what"

In all the time that Shino had known her- which granted wasn't very long at all- he had never Seen Naru look as uncertain as she did at that moment.

Shino sighed, "you don't have to go if your uncomfortable, but it would make my mother happy if you do decide to agree"

He watched as Naru mulled it over in her mind, and had the oddest urge to ask her what lines she was drawing up. Shino gave a mental smile. Naru was the most unpredictable girl he knew and had no doubts that she would only become more so after she became a konoichi.

So in tuned to his own thoughts was Shino, that he barely heard Naru say that she would think on his offer.

As they were heading into the academy, Shino discreetly handed Naru a note with directions to his clans compound. Not having the slightest clue if she would show up or not.

Neither knew that this night was the start of something wild and dangerous, for this was the night that both would learn of their destiny's.

this was the night both would look back on and laughingly say it was the time they started their way down their own paths that truly brought them together.

For this was the night two people finally realized who they were! Even thought they had yet to fully understand what they were going to become: legends.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter five:

How to greet your best friends parent.

'_with no sense of smell, your memories dropped like pennies out of a ripped pocket, until your past was ashes and your parents were blanks: nothing more than the holes in swish cheese.'_

_-Lisa Bick_

Naru paced the well worn floor of her neat bedroom. The ancient wood groaned as her weight trod down upon them-the final cry of a defeated allies. Her bright blonde hair glittered faintly from the sunlight flittering through her open window.

Her bottom lip was a mess of small gashes, made by her sharp teeth in a desperate attempt at calming herself. Naru's mind was a flurry of thoughts.

She walked back and forth, thinking about Shino…how had he even found time to give a note. She knew she wasn't the smartest shuriken in the pouch, but even she should have felt the weight of the paper descend into her empty pocket…so that begged the question-how had he done it?

Shaking her head in a rough motion, she stomped to her closet. Nearly taking the battered door of its rusted hinges, Naru gave a cursory scan of the depleted inside- the calm look of expected failure and danger weighed heavily in her expressive blue eyes. She owned a few nice clothes, some had been given to her by the Sandaime, others she had been given over the years by various individuals.

A knock on her front door alerted Naru of company. Walking into her tiny living room, she debated on whether or not to open the door. The answer was given to her.

A profile of a kindly old man filled the slightly crooked doorway of her small apartment. Naru gave a grin, hiding her slightly accelerated sigh of relief.

"Hokage-san…how are you today. I wasn't expecting you to check up on me so soon, is something wrong?" her blue eyes gave a slight passing over the leader, quietly assessing him for any injury.

The Hokage watched as the young girl looked for any wounds on his person. Oh to be young again. Though he had watched her since she was little and he had liked to praise himself on being able to read her better than most- the truth was he knew very little about the unpredictable young'un.

"no Naru, nothings wrong. I see you have been very busy." he looked out at the mess of her clothes strung room.

-0-

Naru blushed and looked away. It was unfortunate, how would she explain to the grandfatherly old man that her best friend had invited her over for dinner to meet his parents.

She felt a weight descend onto her lap. Looking up into the kind eyes of the Hokage, she felt the fabric of a dress envelop her fingers. Though no words were spoken, a special conversation was taking place. At his nod Naru said goodbye and waited for her leader to leave. Heading to her room, Naru tore off her old t-shirt and shorts and looked at the pretty dress.

It was quite long, but not cumbersome enough to hamper her movements in the event of her needing to run or fight. It would descend gently to her knees and was loose at the bottom. It had long, tight fitting sleeves and flared ends also, but that wasn't the best part. The dress, to Naru's delight, was a beautiful yellow with white flowers printed on it. Hurrying to put it on, Naru sighed at the remarkably cool material, she knew she would treasure this outfit, after all it wasn't every day that the Hokage gave out free gifts.

Looking at herself in the small bathroom mirror on her way out, Naru deemed herself ready for a night with Shino and his parents. Putting on her shinobi sandals, she calmly walked to the Aburame compound following the written instructions that Shino had slipped to her. 'well…here goes nothing.'

-0-

Shino silently paced the carpet in his room. How could one girl bring him to his knees so quickly. Though a reoccurring thought, it still didn't make any sense to him then it did the first time. He felt confined, like a tiger roaming the inside of a cage, wanting out but sadly for his stress levels, only Naru held the key.

Slumping on his bed, Shino took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. He could feel his kikai bugs become agitated and desperately tried to rein in some form of control. To make matters worse, he was constantly wondering if Naru was going to show up.

Ah Naru, a lovely angel with a temperamental disposition. How he had managed to make friends with her…well the world wasn't ready to reveal any of it's secrets to anyone, not even him. Maybe the reason he cared so much about her, was because the world and the Kami above enjoyed his sick and twisted predicament- give the boy endless amounts of time with a stunning girl who he will protect with his very existence and then make her unattainable to show him life's twisted lesson. Just great!

Shaking himself out of his cynical thoughts, Shino understood that his current mood would not help him in any way, shape nor form. Falling back against the covers of his bed, Shino tried to calm down, but all he could think of was how Naru would give secret little grins to him in class or the way her hair shown in the sun. Kami up above-why do you laugh so.

Rubbing his already messed up hair, Shino decided to get dressed in something more appropriate for tonight. Even though he felt a dark recess of his heart whisper that Naru didn't want to come to dinner, he still felt the need to show her a different side of him, to show that he could be welcoming, friendly and supportive of her choices.

Getting on a dark dress shirt, with some dark shinobi pants he walked out of his room and down the stairs to the foyer, where he nearly crashed into his mother, who was carrying a container of vegetables to the kitchen.

Nodding in apology and greeting, he took a seat on one of the benches near the wall next to the door, and played the inevitable waiting game.

It may have been minutes, maybe seconds before he felt as if he was on fire. It burned his skin and ignited a feeling of happiness within him. A uncharacteristic smile was steadily forming on his lips, while he wiped suddenly sweaty palms on his pants. His kikai buzzed frantically under his skin-they were excited too, it seemed. A small bead of nervousness grew in him, making his heart speed up until he could practically dance to the beat.

In the limits of his hearing, Shino could just make out the small sounds of someone with incredibly small feet, walking up to the front door. A smell of spices and melons seemed to permeate the foyer, wafting from the small crack under the heavy door. A lump of apprehension caused him to swallow excessively, desperately trying to get rid of it.

Shino could practically feel the vibrations coming from the small, timid knocks, the slight hesitations making him feel angry at anyone who could make the physical form of sunshine and mischief so delicate and unsure.

Gathering up what little courage he could muster, Shino walked to the door. The fall of his footsteps sounding unnaturally loud to his ears, while the small hallway stretched into infinity-making the door a gateway barrier stopping him from ascending the steps of nirvana-his best friend Naru, who would be waiting. Breathing in a overly-controlled manor, Shino opened the dividing piece of hard oak wood and died peacefully, only sad that he had to leave behind Naru.

-0-

Naru walked up the path to the Aburame compound and silently marveled at the beautiful gardens and traditional living complexes that surrounded her. Flowers of every kind were being pollinated by insects of every species. A sweet smell of honey, silks and fresh fruit flittered in a wave of calm serenity. Suddenly Naru felt a craving for a peach or an orange, any one would do. Out of the corner of her eyes, she would sometimes see one of the Aburame clan members either walking, meditating, or tending the grounds. It seemed a love of nature bloomed well in the Aburame clan. Sighing in wistfulness, Naru continued her trek up to the main house, the place though traditional, seemed to tower over the young Uzumaki, making her shiver unconsciously. A odd feeling seemed to arise in her; would Shino's parents even like her? A feeling of fear followed that thought making her hesitate in her steps. Not that it mattered much as she was up at the door anyways, her small hand gently rapped out a volley of small, timid knocks. In the back of her mind she had a unique urge for nobody to be home so she could leave, but she didn't act on it knowing how much this seemed to mean for her best friend.

Shino meant the world to her, when she was down he made her happy and he seemed to be the only one who cared enough to stay with her besides the Hokage and the people who ran the ramen stand. no, it wouldn't be fair to run away from something new just because it was different.

She could hear the sound of slightly muffled feet hitting the floors as the person on the other side of the door walked closer. her heart started to beat a uncomfortable rhythm against her ribs. With a long, suffering sigh, Naru stood a little straighter and gave a mental check to see if she was still presentable, it wouldn't bode well for her if she showed up looking like a slob. The door opened and she came face to face with Shino, who just stood there looking like an idiot for several minutes. Naru was becoming a little peeved with her friend, she couldn't get him to respond even though she had called his name and waved his hand in front of his face. well, this was just great, here she was all dressed up and on time and Shino apparently went to lala land instead of doing his job introducing his friend to his family.

"oi, Shino what are you doing? Ya gonna let me in or what? Hey buddy, I'm talking to you." Naru gave a heaving sigh of irritation and walked closer to her taller companion. Seriously, Shino was the tallest person in their class with, sadly, her being the shortest. It made simple things, like whispering into his ear about how much of a bastard Sasuke-teme was, a challenge.

Suddenly a smooth, warm voice moved the air above her and Shino, "welcome to the Aburame compound Uzumaki-chan. I see you've already done a number on my son." Naru looked up and gasped in awe. It was a tall women who looked a little like Shino, she was probably the most beautiful women she had ever seen. With an embarrassed blush, she gave a slight nod of her head, whispering mentally that she was out of her element.

The women laughed and then gave a more sly look at her son, who was still marveling at his usually tomboyish friends change in attire, and winked at the still blushing girl. Aww, they would make the cutest couple once they learned that they were already falling for the other. A small sigh escaped her, it truly did remind her how she and her husband met and acted. "well, Uzumaki-san it seems I should not have let Shino open up the door if he is just going to stand there and not invite such a pretty girl like yourself in. I swear he gets his attitude from his fathers genes not mine."

Naru laughed as she moved past her statuesque friend and followed his mother into the home. Here she had been worrying that they wouldn't like her and now she was laughing as his mother made funny quips to annoy her friend. What had she been afraid of anyways.

-0-

Shino didn't know how long he stood in front of the open door nor did he even register when his mother showed up. He did know that Naru had followed her inside and had left him outside-well it was more of his fault for being pleasantly surprised, but still.

Deftly turning on his heel, Shino stalked back into the main house determined to find out where Naru had been taken. He knew his mother was…unconventional, but it still didn't permit her from taking his friend away, how was he supposed to keep her safe if he couldn't even see her.

He found them in the living room looking through some photo albums that his mother had kept around just to embarrass him in front of company. He blushed scarlet and hoped to all that was holy and pure in the world for no one to look his way and see.

"oi, Shino why are you blushing? Oh, look you were such a cute baby Shino…Shino you okay, ya look a little pale?"

Luck was not on his side.

He felt so embarrassed that Naru had seen him as a baby and what was worse was in all those pictures he wasn't wearing clothes. Touché mother, touché. He grumbled a thanks and walked over to one of the low couches and pretended he was invisible until dinner was ready. It was the longest hour of his life as both Naru and his mother simple couldn't resist teasing him about his apparent cuteness. Oh joy.

When his mother walked out to check on the food, Shino saw his chance to talk with his friend, it wasn't that he didn't want his mother to hear it was just that he valued his privacy with Naru when they conversed, it was special for them.

"Naru, are you okay?" he tried to remain as calm as possible, as Naru responded best to his methods. He watched as she lowered her gaze to the floor and gave a slight inclination of her head. He frowned, he wanted her to talk with him not shut him out. "Naru! Look at me. I'm always going to be there for you, no one will harm you or treat you badly in my presence…you are my best friend, I want to see you happy."

She didn't look up but she did move closer to him so she could give him a small hug. It was her way of showing her thanks.

Tsumiki smiled as she watched the two from behind the wall. She now knew why her son cared so much about the pretty Uzumaki girl. She was the spitting image of her father and carried the personality of her mother. 'ah Kushina, Minato if only you both had lived long enough to witness this moment in your daughters life. Ha-ha, Kushina you would have laughed and cheered on my son while restraining Minato from actively trying to kill the boy. You both should be proud of her and don't worry, I haven't forgotten my promise to you both.'

With a sense of accomplishment, she walked out and announced that dinner was ready and apologized for her missing husband. All in all dinner was a success and Tsumiki was happy her son had made a great friend-though if she had anything to do about it the would be more than friends by the time they were in their teens.

She couldn't wait.


End file.
